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D estiny climbed down off the little stool and stepped back to have a proper look at her handiwork.

That was the perfect spot to hang her picture.

Jesse had carved the frame for her and she’d picked out her favorite wedding photos to place in the little ovals behind the brightly colored matting.

Photographs from both of her weddings.

The first had been an unofficial, hurried, informal affair, thrown together quickly in Cate and Connor’s living room so that she could have her sister as her maid of honor, before Leah left.

The second, a full three months later, had been a hugely lavish family celebration, overflowing with Jesse’s relatives and friends—so many she still couldn’t keep all of them straight.

To someone who’d grown up with such a small circle of family, Jesse and his extended clan, both Mortal and Faerie, continued to be a source of happy amazement.

She certainly had no more worries about being alone. In fact, she was learning that sometimes the problem with such a large family was in carving out enough alone time.

She took another step back and bumped into Jesse’s large leather recliner. She sat down and tucked one foot under her, admiring her little home, remembering the first time Jesse had brought her to this wonderful house in the Highlands of Scotland.

“See?” he’d pointed out proudly, that infectious grin of his covering his face. “It’s all ours. I told you once before I was a real Highlander. And now you’re one, too.”

Their home was no rival to the huge manor house his sister and her family lived in, but Destiny loved this place, and steadfastly ignored Jesse’s efforts to talk her into building a larger house on the property.

“Hey, babe.” Jesse hurried in the door, a wicked grin on his beautiful face. “Finally got rid of Dallyn. That is one Faerie who just does not know how to take a hint.”

Destiny smiled up at him, her heart doing a little happy dance as he crossed the room to her.

Dallyn, Jesse’s friend and mentor, showed up at their home regularly. Interestingly enough, usually at mealtime.

After moving here she’d learned that the property housed a Portal to the Faerie Realm. It was the reason Jesse had bought the land in the first place. He was a Guardian and the sanctity of the Portal was his responsibility.

She’d been surprised to learn that until recently Guardians weren’t allowed to marry. Apparently the Faerie Realm was modernizing itself, though. Either that or they were hard up for a few good Guardians, so the rules had changed.

Jesse grabbed her hands and hoisted her from his chair, dropping down in her place and pulling her to sit in his lap.

“Now where were we before that pesky Faerie boss of mine showed up?” He grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows in a most attractively suggestive manner. “Ah yes, I remember.”

He slipped a hand under her heavy sweater and in one quick move popped open the hooks on her bra.

“We were just getting ready for some baby-making practice.”

It was his standard line. They’d agreed from the first that they both wanted children. Someday. But for now they were enjoying each other. Their “practice sessions” were very much a part of that enjoyment.

“No, Jess,” she giggled as she playfully slapped away his fingers tickling along her sides, “we can’t yet. Mairi’s supposed to call with an update tonight.”

As it had turned out, her sister-in-law, Mairi, was a professor of medieval studies and an amazing expert at research documentation. The woman had been hunting for clues for her on Leah’s life.

Destiny preferred to think of anything they might find as news from her sister living far away rather than something that had happened in the past. She knew it was little more than a mind game she played with herself, but it made Leah’s being gone easier for her.

She shook her head as she did every time she considered what they’d done. The whole time-travel thing was still hard to wrap her mind around and any tidbits Mairi might find would only serve to make her feel better about her sister’s decision. She just wanted to know that Leah ended up with her own happy-ever-after.

“So?” Jesse drew her attention back to him, nibbling at her earlobe in the way he knew drove her wild. “We can hear the phone from the bedroom.”

“Yeah, right,” she laughed. “Like we’d stop to come answer it?”

“Fair enough.” He stood up, forcing her to her feet as well. “Never let it be said that Jesse Coryell can’t compromise.”

“What are you doing?” She watched in amusement as he picked up their coffee table and carried it out of the room.

When he returned, he left little doubt as to his intent as he tossed throw pillows from the sofa to the rug in front of the fireplace just before he pulled his shirt up and over his head.

“Well, that’s not fair,” she complained, trying without success to hide her own grin.

He always knew how to get to her. She could never resist that man’s chest, with its solid wall of rippling muscles. It was like having her own private pinup guy at her beck and call, and even after all these months, she sometimes wanted to pinch herself to believe he was really hers.

“Come on, babe.” He plopped down on the rug and wiggled his fingers at her. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

She dropped to her knees beside him, reaching out to run her hand down his chest, but he stopped her, grabbing her wrist before she could touch him.

“Sweater first,” he encouraged.

She happily lifted her top up and over her head and then allowed him to pull her down to lie next to him.

He tangled his fingers into her hair and moved in close for the kiss she wanted.

When he drew away, she opened her eyes to find him smiling down at her.

“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Des.”

She returned his smile and reached for him. “I know I am, you big Highlander.”

She was, after all, his Destiny.